Education, skills and learning

On this page:

About high school
Selecting a school

About high school

High schools in South Australia may also be known as secondary schools.

Most government high schools in metropolitan Adelaide are zoned. Find out if the schools in your area are zoned using the directory of school zones.

The school directory helps you find government schools in your area, their contact details and website addresses.

Some high schools are located on the same site as a primary school. These schools may be called:

• R-12 schools - reception to year 12
• area schools - government schools located in rural areas
• colleges - not all colleges are R-12 schools.
• some schools offer services from birth to year 12.

All government high schools offer a core set of subjects and students often have a different teacher for each subject. Special courses are offered at some schools.

Government high schools are co-educational (boys and girls). The only two girl public high schools in South Australia are:

• Mitcham Girls High School
• Roma Mitchell Secondary College Girls Campus

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Selecting a school

Starting high school is a major milestone for young people and their families, so the decision you and your child make together about their future school education is an important one.

Visit schools on open nights to help decide the best one for your child. At open nights you can:

• find out about the courses offered
• see classrooms
• look at the facilities
• see demonstration lessons
• meet staff members, including the principal.

Open nights are usually held between March and June. They are usually held in the evening to make it easier for the family to attend together. You can visit schools by appointment at other times.

Some families start going to open nights a few years before their child starts high school. Some local and state papers advertise these events.

The school website is often a good source of information about the school, its policies and procedures, strategic plans and the annual report – or you could contact the school to obtain copies.

My School website provides parents and students with information about each school in Australia including:

• an overview of the school profile
• its mission
• staffing
• resources
• students’ characteristics and their performance in literacy and numeracy.

Some factors that may help you choose a school include:

• school size
• subject choices - including specialist programs offered such as music programs, languages, agriculture
• resources and facilities
• support programs for students with special needs
• school location and how the student will travel there and back
• academic culture
• policies of the school
• school values and ethos
• where the child’s friends are going to school
• opportunities for parent involvement.

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More information

Enrolling in high school
Choosing a school